Military Mail: Mail of the Congress of Versailles, 1919 [Author: Alfred F. Kugel]. In the wake of the Armistice agreement on 11th November 1918, the Allied and their Associated Powers met at the Château de Versailles to define the terms of peace with a defeated Germany. The formal signing ceremony took place in the ‘Hall of Mirrors’ in the Château on 28th June 1919. The order in which the material is exhibited is alphabetic for the Allies, then followed by covers from the German delegation.
This web page, published by the Military Postal History Society, contains text from the images of the exhibit pages created by Alfred F. Kugel, and are reproduced and distributed to the public with his permission.
In the wake of the Armistice agreement on 11 November 1918, The Allied & Associated Powers convened a
meeting in the Chateau of Versailles, which had been built by King Louis XIV outside of Paris, to work out the
terms of peace with defeated Germany. In the meantime, the Kaiser and Crown Prince had abdicated and
sought exile in The Netherlands, while a Republic was declared as the new government back home in Germany.
Scarcely three weeks after the Armistice, President Wilson sailed for Europe on the S.S. George Washington,
landing at Brest, France on 13 December. After visits in France and Britain, Wilson returned to Paris for a
preliminary session of the Supreme War Council held on 12 January 1919. The first plenary meeting of the
Peace Conference was held on the 18". Although representatives of 32 Allies were invited, it soon became
clear that the “Big Four” (Premier Clemenceau of France, Prime Minister Lloyd George of Great Britain,
President Wilson of the U.S. and Premier Orlando of Italy) would make most of the decisions.
There were long negotiations on a host of details, including boundary disputes, plebiscites, colonies, war
reparations, future German armaments, etc. Finally a draft was completed and given to the Germans on 7 May.
There were to be no negotiations, but the German representatives could comment on it and then in the end had
to accept it more or less as originally written. The formal signing ceremony took place in the Hall of Mirrors in
the Chateau on 28 June 1919.
Inbound mail sent to participants in the Congress is extremely elusive and seldom seen
on the philatelic market. This example was mailed unfranked in Paris on 5 June 1919,
but was charged the double deficiency rate of 30 centimes on delivery. Receiving
postmarks of the Congress post office were applied.
Mail from the participants in the Congress, from both Versailles and the various meeting places in Paris, can be
found, but it is surprisingly elusive. As a result, the impression created is that much of what may have exist4ed
at one time is still held in official archives or has been discarded. Some communications were sent by courier
to insure promptness and confidentiality, and examples are included in the exhibit. The order in which the
material is shown is alphabetic for the Allies, then followed by covers from the German delegation.
AMERICAN PEACE COMMISSION Postal Express Service No. 975
Paris 1 Avr 1919
3 Mai 1919
Corp. J.H.McClow. Peace Conférence Branch APO 702; -Amers ie FY
Miss Florence C. Odsted,
3640 Eleventh Street, N.W.,
Washington, D. CG, . USA
SeBeC. Kendrick, VUedeiieRele
AMERICAN COMMISSION
TO NEGOTIATE PEACE
Hotel de Crillon,
Paris.
Mrse “va Fe. Cordery,
88 Ocean Aveme,
Pawtuxet,
Providence,
Rhode Island,
(ann 10 onde qualia ; i 94943 Us Bi ae
wae
Although President Wilson and official members of the American Delegation arrived in France on 13 December
1918, little more than a month after the Armistice, it took some time to organize the conference and gather the
delegations from some 30 countries. The actual work of the Commission staff extended over a number of months
until being completed in April 1919. A special APO designated as No. 975 was established in Paris to handle the
mail of the Americans. Letters could be sent free but postage was required for special services. Registered mail
from this APO is quite unusual.
AMERICAN PEACE COMMISSION Postal Express Service No, 702
Paris 28 Avr 1919
U.S. Military Postal Express Service No. 702
Een 22 Nov 1919
. AMERICAN COMMISSION
TO NEGOTIATE PEACE
MISSION FOR GERMANY.
Mejor 4. Teasiee, Chisf of Courier Service Division,
American Commission to
Negotiate Terce, —
S. By courier service 1:0 eae ee.
J.E. Sterrett.
' AMERICAN COMMISSION i to TO NEGOTIATE PEACE — f ™
a8 aoa Pm Z a Ss ae, A
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Te a
e222 991s wal a2
yy John E, Walker, Esq. beat
x Jobe
3ureau of Internal iievggre Recerven { sd
a
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treasury Department | , ioe : \ ‘ |
; "% a x a4 Y Washington, D.C. Nee: een nr mane
Solicitor's Office. 0 a f O 89
-
Special imprinted envelopes and cachets were used to designate official correspondence of the American
Commission. These examples were sent by military courier. The envelope inscribed "Mission for Germany" is
the discovery example, being unrecorded in the Postal History of the A.E.F., 1917-1923.
ae
AMERICAN PEACE COMMISSION
Paris
a
\
s i
Roe
‘Ania tee ee
ae}!
HEN
JMMISSION TO: NEGOTIAT
E.M.HOUS
Postal Express Service No. 702 20 Aout 1919
Cover sent by Courier as an
Official Registered letter
from Mr. Polk in Paris to
Col. House in London,
where it was received on 22
August 1919. Mr. Polk was
Undersecretary of State and
the Chairman of the
American Staff of the
Commission. This example
of his personal cachet is the
only such example seen by
exhibitor.
BELGIAN PEACE DELEGATION Versailles
Versailles 19 May 1919
Versailles-Chateau
28 June 1919
: Commissarre Diuiau® Bitton aupras de
Réseaux Francais de I Inievteur
am
DELEGATION BELGE
As one of the key interested participants, the Belgians sent a substantial delegation to the Peace Conference at
Versailles. The lower cover was mailed from the special post office in the Chateau on 28 June 1919, the day that
the Treaty was signed.
BRITISH PEACE DELEGATION | Versailles-Chateau
Versailles 28 June 1919 ©
CHINESE PEACE DELEGATION 12 May 1919
Paris
The postcard above depicts the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles. It was cancelled on the day the Treaty
was signed and sent to the British Consulate General in Paris, presumably as a souvenir by a member of the
British Delegation.
Cover below was sent by courier from Ambassador Wellington Koo to Colonel House at the Hotel Crillon.
FINNISH PEACE DELEGATION 12 May 1919
GREEK PEACE DELEGATION Versailles Versailles
7 June 1919
Postcard sepletng the Hall of Mirrors sent by a member of the Finnish Pelegeies to Helsinki.
Cover below was mailed by a Greek Delegate from the special "Peace Congress" post office : in n Versailles. It is |
addressed to the attache of Prime Minister Venizelos in Paris. A very unusual usage.
FRENCH PEACE DELEGATION Versailles
7 May 1919 Versailles
/ 28 June 1919
Postcard and cover with special markings of the "Headquarters of the Interallied Supreme Council of War," which
was responsible for enforcing the terms of the treaty. The cover was mailed from the civil post office in
Versailles on the day that the treaty was signed, 28 June 1919.
HEDJAZI PEACE DELEGATION 20 April 1919
Paris
Led by Col. T. E. Lawrence, an Arab uprising against the Ottoman Empire succeeded in the creation of the State
of Hedjaz on the Red Sea coast of the Arabian Peninsula. in 1916. Prince Faisal went to the peace talks to look
after the Arab interests. This cover was sent by him via courier to Col. House. An exceptionally elusive usage.
Versailles
June 1919
4 June 1919
ITALIAN PEACE DELEGATION Versailles
— — "
F i e !
wee 7
L e
The Italian Peace Delegation operated as a section of the Interallied Supreme War Council at Versailles. The
above covers with a printed corner card (in Italian) and a similarly worded cachet (in French) are from the
correspondence of Lt. Col. Casati to his family in Italy.
ITALIAN PEACE DELEGATION Paris
Paris 24 February 1919
26 July 1919
LA BATTAGMA DEL PIAV
a4 4 j
Ton ene Tae Bee ye wee
! 3 ASS at :
a . Py = he 8 23 hs oS) ‘ a3 Xs x
Oe . S 4.
Cards showing two different and elusive cachets of the Italian Delegates to the Peace Congress and the Military
Section for the Peace.
ITALIAN PEACE DELEGATION Paris
Paris 26 June 1919
ame eve vane OE gS TNE er eT a
——S—
Fast
& e
@ ¢. % 2, %, %
_ © ITALIANA ef
SezIONE MILITARE ~ ‘ “
cs .. PARIGH, HOTEL EDOUARO VI
Implementing the terms of the peace treaty fell to the staff of the delegations operating in Paris. Above cover was
sent by a member of the Military Section of the Italian Delegation to Italy.
JAPANESE PEACE DELEGATION POLISH PEACE DELEGATION
Paris
18 April 1919 26 January 1919
wv rns ie it i ' LF W144
DELEGATION JAPONAISE nt eles URGENT & CONFIDENTIAL
(HOTEL BRISTOL)
f e t a )
¥
3
*
~ The Hon. Colonel &, HOUSE
_ Hotel Srillon
ig \. aw legen
Qdowmees ag PREZYDENT MINISTROW
lel Fae
Casi
Due to its efforts in taking over a number of the former German colonies in the Pacific, Japan was treated as
a full-fledged member of the Allied powers. However, it did not take an active part in the peace negotiations
except with regard to taking over the German leasehold on the Shantung Peninsula in China. Upper cover
sent by courier from Baron Chinda at the Bristol to Colonel House at the Crillon in April 1919.
Poland declared its independence on 11 November 1918. Minister President (Premier) Ignace Paderewski
was the leader of its peace delegation. Lower cover sent from him by courier to Col. House at the Crillon in
January 1919.
SERB, CROAT & SLOVENE DELEGATION 19 February 1919
Paris
The Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats & Slovenes (renamed Jugoslavia in 1929) was created at the end of the war out
of the countries of Serbia and Montenegro plus territories of the former Austro-Hungarian Monarchy inhabited by
South Slavs, including Bosnia-Hercegovina, Croatia, Dalmatia and Slovenia. These examples of mail sent by
courier to Col. House at the Hotel Crillon and to Marshal Foch, the French Military Commander in Chief.
GERMAN PEACE DELEGATION Deutsche Friedensdelegation
Versailles 2 June 1919
11 June 1919
The Germans were not invited to Versailles until very late in the process, on 6 May 1919, with the position of the
Allies being that there would be no negotiations but that the Germans would be required to sign the completed
document as presented. A special post office was established for the German delegates, with the mail being
postmarked and sent by diplomatic pouch to Berlin for distribution to the addressees. Note that the special seal of
the Delegation still included the imperial eagle, although the Kaiser and Crown Prince had abdicated months
earlier. Registered mail with the special label is rarely seen.
GERMAN PEACE DELEGATION Berlin W8
Versailles 3 November 1919
23 April 1920
Although the Germans arrived late to the party, they were required to stay much longer than most of the others in
order to report on how their government was complying with the various terms of the Treaty. In due course, the
activity was moved from Versailles to Paris and the emblem on their cachet was changed from the imperial eagle
to a less warlike bird representing the Weimar Republic. The special post office was closed, and mail was sent by
pouch to the Berlin W8 Courier Office. Eventually, the activities of the Delegation were moved back to Germany,
mainly in Berlin and Dusseldorf.